Queen's Place Emera Centre

Client:
Architecture49 Inc.
Year Completed:
2011

Located in the historic town of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, BMR was the structural consultant-of-choice for the 70,000 square foot Queen’s Place Emera Centre, which is a modern, state-of-the-art recreational facility that includes:

  • 1000 seat arena & NHL-size rink
  • 5,000 square foot fitness centre
  • Two-lane indoor walking track
  • Barrier-free amenities
  • Community hall & bar
  • Multi-purpose and meeting spaces

The facility consists of a structural steel frame complete with insulated concrete wall panels around the exterior envelope all supported on a reinforced concrete foundation system. The large, open arena space required long-span structural steel trusses be incorporated into the roof design to provide a completely unobstructed view of the rink. Second level concourse framing consists of composite concrete slabs supported on a combination of structural steel beams, open-webbed steel joists, and load-bearing masonry walls. Reinforced load-bearing masonry block walls were designed to support a system of precast concrete bleachers for the arena seating. Laterally, the complex building diaphragms were designed the resist wind and seismic loads through a series of structural steel braces and concrete wall panels. The large areas of architectural curtain glass walls near the main entrance were designed to resist wind loads through a series of structural steel girts, wind columns, and trusses behind the wall assemblies.

Large scale, public recreational facilities such as the Queen’s Place Emera Centre are very complex and detailed construction projects that require an extra level of rigour from everyone on the team and once again, BMR was up to the task.


Key Points

  • Long-span structural steel roof trusses designed to accommodate the arena design
  • Challenging design scope and detail level for various facilities within the building
  • Bleacher support system and rink slab design included for arena portion of the building
  • Insulated concrete tilt-up wall panels for superior durability and increased energy efficiency
  • Structural steel composite concourse slabs supported on load-bearing masonry and structural steel girder beams
  • Meticulous coordination required with many stakeholders for successful completion

Contributors